Wrench kit



R. s. BANISTER 2,448,168

WRENCH KIT Aug. 31 1948.

Filed July 9. 1945 mama Aug. 31, 1948 UNITED sTA'ras PATENT ornca Application July 9, 1945, Serial No. 603,825

3 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to a wrench kit.

and is primarily concerned with the provision" of a single unit capable of adaptation to use upon any size of screw with a socketed head, though it will readily be perceived that the principle underlying my invention is applicable to almost any sort of tool for twisting or turning any object. The primary objects of the invention are to provide a bit which will contribute to the convenience of the worker, which will be substantially of universal applicability, which may be very readily convertible from a condition in which it is applicable to one size of work to a condition in which it is applicable to another size of work, which is so constructed as to make it possible always to have readily available a tool applicable to any size of work, which is so designed as to minimize the danger of applying excessive leverage against any selected size of tool, and which yet is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, simple in construction, and light'and non-cumbersome to carry and to use.

Further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, my invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that change may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described, so long as the scope of the appended claims is not violated.

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of my invention embodied in a wrench kit for use withsocket-headed screws;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the head and handle thereof with one selected tool associated therewith;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmental section through a portion of the headwith another selected tool carrier associated therewith: and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the tool carrier shown in Fig. 3.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, it will be seen that my kit includes a head II with which is associated a handle H. The head may be rigidly secured to the handle, as shown, or may be associated therewith through any sort of ratchet mechanism, if desired. The head is formed to provide a socket l2, and the handle is hollow to provide a storage chamber II for a purpose which will become apparent as the description proceeds. It will be clear that the axis of the handle II is perpendicular to the axis of the head socket ll.

2 The mouth it of the socket I2 is polygonal in cross-section; and, in the illustrated embodiment of the invention. it is somewhat larger than the body of said socket, whereby an outwardly-facing shoulder I! is formed at the base of the mouth i4. Near the mouth II, the handle ii is formed with a radial enlargement in which is provided a bore i6 intersecting the mouth It; and a ball I1 is mounted in said bore, being resiliently held against movement away from the head I! by a spring l8, suitable backed.

Mounted in a wall of the head I and projecting radially a short distance into the socket I2 is an abutment pin I! whose function will become apparent.

to conform to the shape of the socket mouth I4, and is enterable therein and seatable against the shoulder I. Said body is formed with a plurality of straight-through, axially-extending openings, only two of which 2 lo and 2 I] are shown in the drawings, grouped about the longitudinal axis of said body; and each of said openings snugly slidably receives a tool, said tools being designated by the reference numerals 22a, 22b, "0, 2-241, 22c, and 22!. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, said tools are wrenches, of graduated sizes, for insertion in the sockets of socket-headed screws; and it is to be, noted that the axial extent of each tool is considerably greater than that of the body 20.

A spider 23 of some resilient material, such as sheet metal, is mounted upon one end of the body 20 through the medium of a screw 24 which is threaded into said body upon the axis of said body; and said spider comprises a plurality of substantially radially extending arms 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d, 23c, and 28! which project, respectively, into frictional engagement with the specific tools. Preferably, each tool will be formed with a transverse notch, such as those'illustrated at 15c and 25!, in which the respective spider arms are enterable, said notches being so positioned that, when the spider arms are entered therein, the lower ends of the tools will be substantially flush with the end of the carrier body 20 remote from the spider 23. Each tool is further formed with a second notch, such as. those indicated at 28c, 28d, lie and 28 and the notches of the 26 series are so located that, when the spider arms are engaged therein, the lower ends of the tools are projected materially beyond the corresponding end of the carrier body 20.

It will be perceived that. when the carrier 2| is entered in the socket mouth ll, one of the tools will be so positioned that. as the body is moved into the socket mouth, that selected tool will be engaged by the stop pin l3, and will thereby be prevented from moving inwardly with the body 20. Consequently, as the body 20 ls moved toward and into contact with the shoulder II, the lower end of the selected tool will be projected beyond the outer end of the body 20, the corresponding spider arm being thereby dragged out or the notch or the 25 series, scraped alon the adjacent surface of the selected tool, and finally entered in the notch of the 23 series. The body 29 will preferably be socketed or grooved for cooperation with the ball II; but at any rate, the ball I! will tend frictionally to hold the carrier body 20 in place in the socket mouth 4.

Oi course, those tools other than the selected one will remain in their positions in which the spider arms engage in the notches of the 25 series, the upper ends of the tools being projected into the socket l2.

I have shown a second tool carrier 21 carrying tools 28a, 28b and 230 which are progressively larger than the tools of the 22 series. In other respects, the tool carrier 21 and its associated tools will be entirely comparable to the tool carrier 20 and its associated tools.

A third tool carrier 29 solidly mounts tools 39 and 3|, of still larger sizes, at its opposite ends. Said tools 30 and 3| are eccentrically mounted on the carrier body 29 so that they will clear the stop pin i3, as the carrier body is inserted in the socket mouth I. Preferably, the tools 30 and 3| will be oppositely eccentric, so that. as shown in Fig. 1, the tool in active position will always be as near as possible to that portion of the head most remote from the handle A still larger size of tool is shown at 32, in which the portion of the tool to be entered in the screw head socket is as large as the socket mouth H.

All of the tool carriers, with their associated tools, may be nested within the chamber l3; and a cap 33 is adapted to close said chamber I3. I have shown a bayonet groove 34 in the 'handle Ii, whereby the cap 33 may be held in place; but it will be obvious that any other suitable means of fastening the cap 33 in place may be used.

The handle H is provided with graduation marks 35 with which may preferably be associated legends to guide the user in determining the point on the handle to be grasped when using any selected one of the various available tools. That is, it will be obvious that considerably more leverage may be applied, when using the tool 39, than would be appropriate when using the tool 220. The function of the graduations 35, then, is to prevent the application of undue leverage, when using a selected tool which might not be able to resist the torque applied thereto if the handle is grasped near its end remote from the head Ill.

I claim as my invention:

1. A wrench comprising a handle, a head carried on said handle and formed to provide a socket having a polygonal mouth enlarged with respect to the body of said socket to provide a stop shoulder at the base of said mouth, a tool car- .said tools, as said carrier is entered into said socket mouth, to engage and stop said one tool as said carrier is moved into said mouth, whereby said one tool is caused to project outwardly from said carrier beyond the limits of said socket mouth.

2. A wrench comprising a handle, a head carried on said handle and formed to provide a socket having a polygonal mouth, a, tool carrier comprising a body enterable in said mouth and contoured to conform to the polygonal shape of said mouth, a plurality of tools supported by said carrier and axially slidable with respect thereto, the axial length of each of said tools being materially greater than the axial length of said carrier, and an abutment located in said socket and in the path of one only of said tools, as said carrier is entered into said socket mouth, to engage and stop said one tool as said carrier is moved into said mouth, whereby said one tool is caused to project'outwardly from" said carrier beyond the limits of said socket mouth.

1 3. A wrench comprising a handle, a head carried on said handle and formed-to provide a socket having a polygonal mouth, a tool carrier comprising a body enterable in said mouth and contoured to conform to the lygonal shape of said mouth, a. plurality of tools supported by said carrier and axially slidable with respect thereto, the axial length of each or said tools being materially greater than the axial length of said carrier, an abutment located in said socket and in the path of one only of said tools, as said carrier is entered into said socket mouth, to engage and stop said one tool as said carrier is moved into said mouth, whereby said one tool is caused to project outwardly from said carrier beyond the limits of said socket mouth, and means carried by said head and resiliently frictionally engaging said carrier while said carrier is seated in said mouth.

ROLAND S. BANISTER.-

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATEhl'IS 

